With this disc, Giuseppe Maletto and Cantica Symphonia complete their ‘Dufay trilogy’ on Glossa: two volumes of motets and one of chansons (Tempio dell’Onore e delle Vertù, GCD P31903). These musicians (singers and instrumentalists), many of them members of the various configurations of La Venexiana, represent the best possible interpreters today for communicating this timeless and moving music: motets indelibly linked to the power struggles that, in the first half of the fifteenth century, convulsed the politics of European powers and of the Roman Catholic Church – with the Church’s great Councils, attended by Guillaume Dufay, as the settings for glorious and evocative compositions. Together with Quadrivium (GCD P31901), this new release sees Cantica Symphonia traversing all the currently attributed motets by Dufay – works written to set the seal on historic occasions as well as those with liturgical texts. The accompanying essay admirably captures the pervasive fifteenth century currents of Humanism and religious splendour.

For many years Cantica Symphonia has devoted much performing, musicological and recording energy over the music of the French composer Guillaume Dufay. Born at the dawn of the 15th century, Dufay’s musical career looked back to medieval conventions and forward to the early Renaissance. He was a much-travelled figure and was regularly present as musician, composer and emissary of church and secular powers at the many Ecumenical Councils held by the Roman Catholic Church during these turbulent political times. Dufay was often called on to write motets for important occasions such as the dedication of the Duomo of Florence – Nuper rosarum flores – or an especially critical meeting between the Pope, Eugenius IV and the Emperor, Sigismund – Supremum est mortalibus bonum (the names of both these two are to be found within the words of the motet). [read more...]